My experience with these jokers has been that they will drag this out for as long as possible, keep the American public dangling, and in the end they will pass some version of the bill that will keep DHS open. They’ve been scaring people by saying just how many will lose jobs, etc. Don’t expect me to follow it all weekend, I will report it when the problem is resolved. I’m not dancing to their tune anymore 🙂 ~J

John Boehner’s first attempt to keep the Department of Homeland Security from running out of money at midnight failed in the House of Representatives after dozens of Republicans baulked at his plan to fund it for just three more weeks.

The House speaker had been hoping to prevent a shutdown by buying time to negotiate with conservatives in his caucus over their demands that the bill include a measure to prevent Barack Obama from deferring deportation of undocumented immigrants.

But even this three-week stop gap was rejected by 30-odd Republican congressman who defied their party leadership and joined with Democrats to voted against the bill by 224 to 203 just after 5pm. The department runs out of funds at midnight.

Democrats resisted Boehner’s proposal in the hope of forcing House Republicans to follow their colleagues in the Senate and agree a one-year funding bill.

But the impasse now sets up a dangerous game of chicken between the parties as each tries to see who will blink first before current funding for the department expires at midnight.

* * *

What happens if we go into the weekend without a DHS deal? In the event of a shutdown, the vast majority of DHS employees would stay on the job. DHS Secretary Johnson said earlier this week that about 30,000 of DHS’s approximately 240,000 employees would be furloughed. The rest would be considered exempt and most would have to work without pay.

For everyone else, a brief shutdown won’t have an impact. Should the shutdown drag on, this is how DHS official describe the “state-less” hell that would be unleashed:

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

If a major snowstorm or earthquake or even terrorist attack hits a city or state, DHS won’t be able to send the state federal funds for recovery.

State and local authorities rely on federal grants to afford many of their first responders, but new grant requests won’t be processed – potentially forcing cities and towns across the country to cut back on police, fire and ambulance services.

Each month, FEMA trains thousands of state and local emergency personnel how to handle “very specialized” cases such as those involving Ebola, anthrax or sarin gas, but that training will stop.

CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION (INC. BORDER PATROL & CUSTOMS OFFICERS)

500 recruits currently in training in Georgia will be sent home, wasting significant amounts of taxpayer money already invested in them and possibly losing them as recruits.

CBP won’t be able to replace or upgrade aging surveillance systems along the Southwest border

Certain criminal cases against those trying to cross the border illegally or smuggle prohibited items into the United States will slow or stop, especially after lawyers at CBP are sent home.

SECRET SERVICE

The Secret Service won’t be able to make certain security upgrades at the White House in the wake of several recent breaches there.

The 2016 presidential candidates could be put at risk because the Secret Service won’t be able to pay “for the things we need” to protect them.

IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT

ICE will miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars intended to address “unaccompanied minors” and families still crossing the Southwest border illegally.

TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

“Nothing to report here,” though training and other “non-essential administrative functions would cease.”

* * *

As SMRA notes, If a shutdown occurs, we think it would be brief. The political repercussions of shutting the DHS could be negative, especially given recent events including threats to U.S. shopping malls and today’s arrest in Brooklyn of three individuals charged with aiding the Islamic State.

In the event of a shutdown, the vast majority of DHS employees would stay on the job. DHS Secretary Johnson said earlier this week that about 30,000 of DHS’s approximately 240,000 employees would be furloughed. The rest would be considered exempt and most would have to work without pay.

DHS hasn’t published a detailed breakdown of employees that would be furloughed or exempt like it did in advance of the 2013 government shutdown. But the estimates published then serve as a useful proxy for what would happen in the event of a shutdown after Friday. The following table summarizes employees at the agencies within DHS that accounted for the great majority of employees in advance of the 2013 shutdown, and shows the number expected to be furloughed and the number expected to be exempt at that time.

As the table shows, USCIS accounted for 5.7% of employees in 2013, but just 1.1% of furloughs. As we noted above, USCIS doesn’t rely on the annual appropriations process. Presumably its exempt workers would get paid, but we’re not entirely clear on that. In the event of a shutdown, the operations of USCIS would for the most part continue. However, that may be a moot point for the President’s immigration policies unless a higher court reverses the stay imposed by the court in Texas.

Maybe it’s time we the people with our over 100 million of the 350 million or so that are armed with firearms should start protecting our borders and securing our nation as the lawful militias we are all supposed to be in the first place rather than continue with the status quo of these alphabet agency civilian security forces (constabulary forces) which are most likely as well funded and as well armed as our current military resulting in the jack boot tyrants we now have in place as promised by BHO back in Oct. of 2007 in Colorado, IIRC. Yup, I think the experiment which resulted in the unlawful and progressive acts of our government since 1789 has worn out its welcome and recognized by a small majority of people in the know (increasing by the day) and maybe we need to go totally on the side of anarchy and let the cards lay where they will and as Thomas Payne once specified, real freedom just may eventually ring.

I like your thinking but take issue with “maybe we need to go totally on the side of anarchy…..” and would change it to “maybe we need to go totally on the side of Sovereignty or The Constitution…” The 2nd Amendment doesn’t serve us if it isn’t applied when necessary and NOW is the time and all those armed citizens of like mind need to band together and walk the walk. We can’t expect The Oathkeepers to do it all.

” Don’t expect me to follow it all weekend,” Nor should you! You do so much for us already, Jean. Take a well-deserved rest. We know the SOSAD (Same Old Song And Dance) will be there waiting next week.